Lexxy

We wrap up Strip Search week at PvP with an amazing illustration by Lexxy Douglass. Lexxy is an amazing illustrator and I'm looking forward to seeing her upcoming sequential work.

Today we also have a new episode of Strip Search in which I judge a competition. I encourage all of you go go check out the episode immediately, and then if you are so inclined, return to this blog and scroll down past the spoiler warning for my thoughts on what happened that day.

In the meantime, I want to thank all of contestants for their time drawing these panels for me this week. I caught them on the last day of PAX East and asked if they each were interested in doing a quick doodle that I could post. Just something to get me through the week. Each other them sat down and immediately produced way more than just an average con sketch. I was floored. I really enjoyed my time with the strip search kids at PAX. We even got to invite a couple of them on stage to help Kris and I during our panel. I have no idea what is going to happen as far as the show goes, but it's pretty obvious that these kids can do anything they set their minds to. So they better start setting their minds to great things.

I expect nothing short of excellence!

Monday we will return to your regular PvP comic strips, and in the weeks to come I have a couple of announcements that might make you gasp. Maybe even spit-take.

****STRIP SEARCH SPOILERS FOR TODAY'S EPISODE****

This last weekend, I got on stage with Kris in front of 1200 people, with nothing planned and two hours to fill. You always get butterflies before going on stage, but I wasn't really nervous. I know I can talk. I know Kris and I have chemistry, and I'm not afraid of a crowd. 1200 people, who waited in line for hours and skipped some awesome concerts to watch us be funny, and we have nothing planned. Not a problem.

In contrast, standing in front of these twelve contestants was terrifying. Watching their faces stare back at me, as Graham introduced the challenge almost destroyed me. I wanted to run. I wanted to go home. Can't I just skip the challenge and help ALL of them?

That's why I started to feel better once I got to the kitchen with the contestants who had finished their work. And honestly, that was the best part of the day for me. On the show, they only showed them asking me questions, but I actually learned a couple things from them as well. It was good for me because in the kitchen, I could see that they knew the difference between the show itself, and who they were and were going to be no matter what happened. They're all very eager and determined. So I was able to feel a lot safer judging their tweets at that point.

There's been a lot of back and forth today about my "argument" with Lexxy. There are a few comments I'd like to make about that:

- Lexx is correct. You can choose not to engage, at all, with anyone on twitter negatively. That is 100% a viable choice. I didn't see it as a viable choice for the challenge. I do know cartoonists who just don't get on twitter at all, or who never respond to anyone. I also know creators who do interact on twitter and never get a hater. Ever. I envy those people. Hopefully Lexxy can be one of those people.

- I've been doing this for 15 years, and Lexxy hasn't really started telling stories online yet. She might feel different about things once she's five years in and people start pelting her with bullshit about how she's "doing it wrong." Maybe I'll get an email from her then saying "Hey, I get what you were saying now." Time will tell.

- There is a very good chance that Lexxy represents a new breed of creators who are less focused on producing a monologe and more interested in engaging in a dialouge. Interactive may be the buzz word of comics moving forward and I'm not talking about motion comics or ipad comics. I'm talking about creators who really do let the readers contribute. I don't claim to understand what Homestuck is, but I do know that 40 million Elvis fans can't be wrong. Lexxy hasn't even launched her webcomic yet and people are writing music for it. She might understand something I never will. And at that point, She's teaching me not the other way around.

- lexxy held her ground stubbornly and argued, making everyone around her feel completely uncomfortable. She made herself a real target. Who else do you know that does that? *clears throat and points at self*